The North London rivalry is born

This weekend, Arsenal and Tottenham meet at Emirates Stadium in the latest instalment of one of English football's fiercest rivalries. But what lies at the root of this bitter North London dispute? The answer can be found in a sequence of events in the 1910s, and in a shadowy, legendary figure found deep in Arsenal's history.

Manager Andre Villas-Boas was reluctant to talk too much about transfers after the match because of the possibility of things changing at the last minute - and he even joked about Chelsea's late hijacking of Willian last week - but did seem upbeat about the strength in depth of his squad.

"At the moment, I can't tell you anything, because different things can happen tomorrow.

"It is a great squad we are putting together, great competition for places. We all agree that last year at the latter stages we were struggling with injuries. What we want this year is to be able to compete in all competitions."

Winger Lamela is set to to arrive from Roma for £30m, playmaker Eriksen from Ajax for around £8 million and defender Chiriches from Steaua Bucharest for £7 million.

It was when asked by a Romanian journalist about the progress of the Chiriches deal that Villas-Boas joked about Chelsea's capture of Willian. The Brazilian signed for the Stamford Bridge side despite initially completing a medical for Spurs.

"At the moment, we can't confirm the deal has happened," Villas-Boas said. "The player has obviously landed in London. That doesn't mean anything these days."

Meanwhile, it is expected that Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Emmanuel Adebayor could be on their way out before the window closes, although Villas-Boas insisted that both Jermain Defoe and Lewis Holtby - who shared the goals in the 3-0 win, with the forward getting two - will stay.